Sylvania



(No Model.)

Bi H. & W. P.- WALKER. RAILWAY TIE- No. 439,333. I Patented Oct. 28, 1890.

UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

EDWARD H. WALKER AND WILLIS F. WALKER, or SOMERSET, PENN- SYLvANIA.

RAILWAY-TIE.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 439,333, dated October 28, 1890.

Application filed April 19, 1890- Serial No. 348,615. (No model.)

To all whom it mag concern:

Be it known that we, EDWARD H. WALKER and WILLIS F. WALKER, citizens of the United States, residing at Somerset, in the to the end that the ties shall be removable from the rails without taking up the latter or without cutting any of the parts.

This object we attain by our invention, which consists, essentially, of the specific locking means between the members of a twopart rail and curved resilient plates upon which said rails rest, all constructed as hereinafter more fully described, and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a section of a railroad with our improved ties and plates therein. Fig. 2 is a detached perspective view of one of the parts or members of the two-part tie. Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the railroad through the resilient plates. Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional detail of the locking means between the two parts of the tie. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of another form of one resilient plate.

Referring to the said drawings, F designates the rails, which are of the usual construction and size, and Ris the road-bed, which is of some hard unyielding substance, as stone, or earth packed with broken stone.

Our improved ties are made in two parts or members B B, which are exact duplicates of each other. The inner or meeting ends of these members are provided with inwardlybent ears 6 at their upper and lower corners, which receive the bodies of the opposite members and have two transverse holes h through their bodies, adapted to register with similar holes in the opposite members, all as seen in Fig. 1. At its outer end each member is provided with hooked lugs a at its opposite edges, adapted to engage the flanges at the bottom of the rail F, the lug upon its right-hand edge standing near its end and facing inwardly, and that upon its left-hand edge being located farther inward upon the tie and facing outwardly. At its extreme outer corner each member is provided with a downwardly-bent tongue at, for a purpose to appear farther on. Our improved locking means for these twopart ties comprise a key 6', having L-shaped feet f, and having an integral pawl E at its back at one end of its body, and a wedge 0, having teeth T upon its face. Referring now to Fig. 4:, the key 6 is first passed through the aligned openings h in the two members of the tie and pressed to one end thereof, when its feet fwill engage the outer faces of the two members. The wedge c is then driven in behind the key, as shown, and its teeth T pass over and engage the integral pawl E on the back of the key, whereby the wedge islocked in place and the members of the tie are firmly and rigidly connected. When it is desired to disconnect the tie members, the wedge is bent or sprung, so as to disengage its teeth from the pawl, after which it (the wedge) can be withdrawn, and the removal of the key disconnects the members, as will be understood.

Our spring-plates for supporting the rails.

are of steel and are substantially of the shape shown in the drawings and marked D-that is to say their bodies are bent upwardly and slightly flattened just beneath the rails to A give a firm and square support therefor, and their outer downwardly-bent ends are again bent slightly upward at their extremes, whereby they will ride freely upon the road-bed and willnot catch thereon. ners they are provided with laterally-extending pins d, which are seated in perforations in bosses I), cast upon the members of the ties B, said pins extending about half-Way through said bosses in order to permit the pins of the next plates to pass thereinto on the other side, as will be understood. The plates extend outward from the line of these pins and stand between two adjacent ties, pass beneath the rails, which they support, are caught above the tongues a upon the tie-members B, and at their outer ends rest upon the road-bed, where they move slightly out and in as the rails are At their inner cordepressed and rise again. The application of a tie of this character to the rails of a road is as follows: One end of the rails being secured as by one of these ties, it will be understood that the bodies of the rails stand slightly above the road-bed. Assuming that the tie in the background of Fig. l is the one already in place and the other tie is to be applied, the first step is to place the right-hand plate D in position with its farther pin cl in the hole in the boss I) of the right-hand member B. The other plate D is then brought into position,together with the left-hand member of the tie being applied, and its pin inserted in the boss therein. This tie memberis then turned at an angle to the rail and moved along thereon until the other pin of the plate enters the boss I) in the left-hand member of the tie already applied, when the member being applied is turned to a position at right angles to the raiLWhereby its lugs a will clamp the lower flange of the left rail and this member of the tie will be in proper place. The other 01' right-hand member is then brought into position, also at an angle to the right-hand rail, and moved thereon until the forward pin of the right-hand plate enters its boss 5, when it also is turned to a position at right angles to this rail and will clamp the same. The turning of this last member brings the inner ends of the two members together, whereby their ears 5 will engage the bodies of the opposite member, and the members will be thereby prevented from sagging. The keys E are then inserted in the aligned openings 72. (which are only in alignment when the two rails are spaced to the proper gage of the road) and the wedges c driven in behind said keys, when the complete tie and resilient plates will be in position.

The advantages of resilient supports for rails are too well known to be enlarged upon here; but by making the ties in two members, as above described, a function is permitted which ties of this character have not hitherto possessed-that is to say, in the construction of a railroad it is not necessary to lay a number of ties and afterward apply the rails, nor is it necessary to carefully gage the distance between said rails, first, because the members of the ties interlock by movements in opposite directions, and, second, because the holes through said members are properly spaced to hold the rails only at the proper gage. The members being exact duplicates of each other can be cast in the same molds. No nails, spikes, bolts, or screws are necessary with this construction of tie, as the rails are clamped to the tie members by the turning of the latter into their correct positions at right angles to the rails.

In Fig. 5 we have shown a form of plate which is sometimes desirable in cases where the plates are of thin metal or the traffic over the road is excessively heavy. In this case we secure to the lower side of the plate D metallic strengthening-ribs D, standing at right angles to the rails or longitudinally of the bodies of the plates, and these ribs add considerably to the stiffness or rigidity of the plates, as will be understood. We do not confine ourselves to either form of plate, however, as they are mechanical equivalents and their use is only optional,according as necessity or choice may dictate.

WVe claim as the salient points of this invention 1. The herein-described two-part tie, each member having cars at its inner corners adapted to embrace the body of the companion member and both members having registering transverse holes, in combination with keys passing through said holes, as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The herein-described two-part tie, each member having ears at its inner corners adapted to embrace the body of the companion member and both members having registering transverse holes in combination with keys passing through said holes and having feet resting against the outer faces of said members and wedges inserted behind said keys, as and for the purpose set forth.

3. The herein-described two-part tie, each member having ears at its inner corners adapted to embrace the body of the companion member and both members having registerin g transverse holes, in combination with keys passing through said holes and having feet resting against the outer faces of said members, wedges inserted behind said keys and provided with teeth, and integral pawls upon the backs of said keys engaging said teeth, as and for the purpose set forth.

4.. The combination, with the ties having bosses provided with holes, of resilient plates standing between two ties, their outer ex tremities resting upon the road-bed, their bodies passing beneath the rails, and theirinner corners provided with lateral pins seated in said holes, as and for the purpose set forth.

5. The combination, with the ties having bosses provided with holes, of resilient plates standing between two ties, their outer extremities being bent upward and resting upon the road-bed, their bodies curving upwardly and being flattened, said flattened portions passing beneath the rails, and their inner corners provided with lateral pins seated in said holes, as and for the purpose set forth.

6. The combination, with the ties having bosses provided with holes and having lateral tongues below the rails, of resilient plates standing between two ties, their outer extremities being bent upward and resting upon the road-bed, their bodies curving upwardly and being flattened, said flattened portions passing beneath the rails and above said tongues, and their inner corners provided with lateral pins seated in said holes, as and for the purpose set forth.

7. The combination, with the two-part ties and means, substantially as described, for connecting the members thereof, each memher having oppositely-facing hooked lugs embracing the base of the rail, and also having bosses provided with holes, of resilient plates standing between two ties, their outer extreinities resting upon the road-bed, their bodies passing beneath the rails, and their inner corners provided with lateral pins seated in said holes, as and for the purpose set forth.

8. The combination, with the ties having bosses provided with holes and having lateral tongues below the rails, of resilient plates standing between two ties, their outer extreniities resting upon the road-bed, their bodies passing beneath the rails and above said tongues, and their inner corners provided with lateral pins seated in said holes, as and for the purpose set forth.

9. The combination, with the ties having bosses provided with holes, of resilient plates standing between two ties, their outer ex EDWARD H. WALKER. WILLIS F. WALKER.

Witnesses as to signature of Edward H. Walker:

M. A. TEAGUE, J. B. WALKER. Witnesses as to signature of \Villis F. Walker: r

CLARENCE E. SPROUT, I J. S. PERKINS,. 

